Okay - so take my opinion as exactly what it is. MY opinion. What I'm going to say may not work for you, but if you can make it happen, your chances of success should be much higher. The music industry is so ridiculously cutthroat that talent isn't even close to the first thing label reps look for. If you want to actually get somewhere, then you have to make a label become interested in you. If you can write your own songs, write them. If you can find somebody who writes songs, then pair up with them. There are a ton of great musicians who are not great singers who are writing music that they can't sing themselves. Then, start playing. Everywhere, and anywhere. Start doing every open mic that you can get your hands on, and learn from them. You'll get feedback from people, and get some highly valuable experience working in front of crowds. Some good crowds, some horrible.... but the experience is priceless. Then, keep putting songs together and working with open mics in larger and more competitive venues in the hopes that you can get someone who matters to notice you. If you can put together an album, even better - sell it out of the back of your car. But with all that said, please don't think that you NEED a recording contract to be a success in this industry - quite to the contrary... record labels are in the business of making money, and the truth is that they most likely do NOT care about you as an artist. Two of my favorite artists, Martin Sexton and Ani DiFranco record under their own labels - and the money that they make off their albums is lightyears better than the deal a label would give you. Sexton sold 20,000 of his first album (that he recorded in a friend's ATTIC on a 4-track, for cryin' out loud...) out of the trunk of his car - and even if he only charged $10 for each one... do the math. That's all profit (After you pay taxes, of course). And hey if none of that sounds tempting and you'd rather just sit in a studio, record other people's songs and do what someone at a label tells you, then I don't know - go on American Idol.
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